The Newness of Now: Living the Resurrection
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Romans 6:1-14
What then shall we say? Shall we persist in sin that grace may abound? Of course not! How can we who died to sin yet live in it? Or are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.
For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. For a dead person has been absolved from sin. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as being dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus.
Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your bodies to God as weapons for righteousness. For sin is not to have any power over you, for you are not under the law but under grace.
Grace Prayed For
I pray for the grace of Spiritual Rebirth: to truly believe that my old, fearful self is dead, and to trust so completely in Jesus that I may walk in the freedom of a child of God in every moment.
Reflection
To hear the Deeper Call of surrender and trust is to listen to the heartbeat of Jesus. In this passage from Romans, Paul is not just teaching doctrine; he is describing a love story—the mystery of being so deeply “in union” with Christ that His history becomes your history.
Deepening Intimacy with the Trinity Intimacy begins with the realization that you are no longer a slave trying to earn God’s favor. Through baptism, you have been plunged into the life of the Trinity. The Father gazes at you and sees the Face of His Son. When you surrender your “old self”—the parts of you driven by fear, pride, or the need for control—you are not losing yourself; you are being raised into “newness of life.” Trust is the bridge that allows you to rest in the Father’s arms, empowered by the Spirit, and walking in the footsteps of the Son.
Shining Love into Every Encounter How does this intimacy travel from your heart to the world? It happens when you “present the parts of your body to God as weapons for righteousness.”
- Your eyes become the eyes of Jesus, looking for the lonely.
- Your ears become His ears, listening to the unspoken pain of a neighbor.
- Your hands become His hands, offering a touch of comfort.
Because you are “dead to sin,” you are free from the need to judge or defend yourself in your daily interactions. You can enter every encounter with a surrendered heart, asking, “Lord, how do You want to love this person through me right now?” When you live under grace, you become a conduit of the Trinity’s warmth, proving that death has no power and that love is the final word.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post